We asked local educational institutions to tell us about their technical writing programs and any updates to their offerings. This article features responses from the following lower mainland schools who responded:
Future articles will present offerings from other schools, as well as opportunities on Vancouver Island.
Educational institutions often change their programs to meet industry demands. Prospective students are advised to contact the institutions directly to research the programs for themselves. Likewise, if an institution would like to be added to this list, or change their listing entirely, please contact us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Just as SFU created one of the first technical communication programs in Canada, it also led the move to online learning in BC, offering the first online technical communication courses in 2002. SFU decided to the entire certificate online so more people could get a quality education in technical communication.
Classroom-based programs can only serve a small local audience. By moving online we can help people from BC, other Canadian provinces, and other countries gain the skills
necessary to become successful technical communicators. Moving online also enables us to expand our focus to the international practice of technical communication. Freed from the constraints of the classroom, we can expand our curriculum to cover a broader range of subjects as well as offer courses on emerging technologies and practices.
Visit http://www.sfu.ca/wp to learn more.
Vancouver Community College offers a comprehensive part-time Business and Technical Writing Certificate Program that gives students practical, hands-on instruction in many areas of technical communication. Our program consists of 9 one-day courses which can be completed within a year. Each course focuses on a specific skill of technical writing such as report or proposal writing, online documentation, technical communication and document project management.
Courses are offered on a rotating basis, usually on the last Saturday of each month.
Students complete assignments for each course, which gives them the chance to practice their skills and add relevant material to their career portfolios.
All courses are facilitated by experienced technical writers who provide practical and hands-on learning experiences.
Graduates from the program have the tools and techniques to write at a technical level, whether in the workplace or as freelance writers.
Registration is ongoing for these courses. Call 604.443.8670 for more information on the program, or 604.443.8484 to register.
BCIT’s Associate Certificate in Technical Writing is a part-time, evening program. It consists of 11 courses of either 18-hour or 36-hour duration, with each course meeting for one three-hour session per week. Those taking one course per term (three hours per week) can finish in 7 terms or just over 2 years. Those taking two courses per term (two three-hour classes per week) can finish in 4 terms or just over one year. You have up to seven years to complete the program. All instructors are industry experts still active in the field and vetted for their teaching ability, not just the excellence and currency of their knowledge.
An increasing number of industries are recognizing the vital part that clear writing, good structure and logical, audience-specific organization play in their instruction and procedure manuals, their training materials, their quality assurance procedures, their proposals and grant applications and all other business-generating and information-storing documentation. Technical writers, who make a living imparting these qualities to documents, enhance productivity, reduce errors, improve safety and increase customer satisfaction.
Technical writers are therefore increasingly becoming an integral part of company engineering, research and production teams, ensuring the flow of clear, timely and accurate information on which business and production depend. And with growing globalization and increasing conduct of business and exchange of information via cyberspace, clear communication is more important than ever; technical writing is a field that will continue to grow in scope and demand.
If you enjoy writing, have a logical mind, like to tease order out of complex situations and have a knack for problem solving and putting yourself in the readers’ shoes, technical writing may be for you. It’s a rewarding, well compensated career, ideal for team-oriented people with a linguistic knack and a desire to contribute to the success of an organization.
Visit the BCIT Tech Writing home page for more information.
